The Fight for South Island
by Logan T. Hoffman
Summary: Sonic and Eggman's first encounter will spark a conflict spanning years.
1. Prologue

The Fight for South Island

Green Hill was beautiful in the summertime. The bright green grass, the sky-high trees, and the honey scent of flowers bombarded Sonic the Hedgehog's senses. He looked up into the sapphire sky as he lay down on a hilltop.

Sonic took in all the scenery then gave a heavy sigh. This was paradise. The hedgehog had had enough of the city life, so a retreat to South Island was quite the treat for him.

Sonic became so intoxicated with the island's beauty that he started to dose off. He made no attempt to resist as the sounds of nature lulled him to sleep.

For hours he slept. Then he slowly opened his eyes. The sound of cracking in the distance came to Sonic's ears. The sound grew closer. And louder.

Suddenly, a stampede of animals came rushing up the hill toward him. Goats, pigs, horses, and birds of all shapes and sizes fled from the great raucous approaching.

Sonic sprung to his feet. Evolution had treated his species well. He was a bi-pedal creature, with blue fur and a lean, athletic body. He was also considered quite the catch among hedgehogs, too. He had a sardonic grin, brilliant green eyes, and an air of confidence few could match. And for good reason. Sonic wasn't lean and athletic for nothing. It was said no human or animal on earth could outrun him. He had once traveled to Africa and outran an entire pack of cheetahs with time to spare.

He looked out into the wooded area where hundreds of splintered trees lie on the ground. Floating above them was a round, plane-like vehicle. Piloting it was an enormous man with spectacles and a thick, red moustache.

The man punched a button on the dashboard of his vehicle. "Yes, Doctor Robotnik," a mechanized voice said from the ship's speakers.

"Send a squad of lumberdroids to my location. This island looks to be suitable to my needs," the man called Robotnik replied.

"Hey!" a voice interrupted the man's conversation.

Robotnik looked and saw a blue hedgehog in his teenage years staring up at him. All the excitement of the moment had left him so occupied that he hadn't even noticed the creature.

"This island is a reserve. What you're doing here is illegal," Sonic said through slightly gritted teeth.

The fat man laughed. "My dear boy, I am merely a scientist. I've been stationed here by the USRA."

Sonic folded his arms. "Show me your permit." He honestly had no idea if USRA members carried licenses, but it was worth a try.

The man's brow furrowed with anger. "Do you know who I am, boy? I am Dr. Ivo Robotnik, one of the leading experts in robotics and energy!"

_Robotnik_. That name rang a bell. _Ah_, now he remembered. Sonic recalled a news broadcast back in Station Square that mentioned a scientist using animals as an alternate means of powering robots. Of course the United Scientists Research Association didn't take kindly to his "suggestions", so they attempted to arrest him. From the looks of it, South Island was his new base of operations.

"Now if you please," Robotnik said with false politeness, "I would like to carry on with my work."

Sonic shook his head. "No. I'm asking you to leave. You're wanted by the authorities. If you're smart you won't come back here again."

Robotnik was taken aback by the remark. "You have no authority here! You're just a punk kid looking for trouble."

The fat scientist touched a button on his dashboard. From the bottom of the spherical plane came a gigantic wreaking ball held by chains thicker than Sonic's waist. "Perhaps I need to resort to more forceful methods of persuasion," Robotnik said with a snicker.

Using a joist stick attached to the dashboard, Robotnik began moving the wrecking ball toward the blue hedgehog.

Sonic quickly dodged out of the way just as the deadly weapon struck a tree, shattering it into mere splinters. "Please," Sonic taunted. "Any slower and I might actually break a sweat _walking_ away!"

Robotnik tried again. This time the ball flattened in the side of a hill. Sonic was nowhere to be seen. Robotnik frantically looked from side to side.

"Where are you, you blasted spine-back?" he bellowed.

"Right below you."

Robotnik looked down to find a fist launch into his face. Sonic quickly climbed up into the plane and randomly pushed buttons on the dashboard.

"What're you doing? You're going to kill us!" Robotnik shouted.

Sonic leapt out of the plane just before the scientist could swat at him.

The chain holding the wrecking ball had detached from the plane, continuously rolling until it reached the ocean.

Sonic stood triumphant. "I asked you to leave. _Now I'm telling you_. Trust me, Robotnik, you don't want to be on my bad side."

The enormous scientist grew nervous. His most effective weapon on hand had been destroyed. Retreat was the best option available.

The scientist took control of the stick and swerved the plane around. "Don't be so confident in your victory, hedgehog. Much of South Island is already in my hand."

Robotnik left those words in the air as he flew off.

Sonic pondered the fat man's declaration. _Could it be true?_ It was far from impossible. There wasn't any army on the island and the police occupation was minimal. Which meant one thing: Robotnik _had_ taken control over the island.

_Or most of it_, thought Sonic. The only hope now was to warn everyone to prepare for invasion.

The war for South Island had begun.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

_The Marble Ruins,_ Sonic thought as he marveled at the gigantic pillars and towers that had long since been abandoned. A lake of fire flowed through the ruins, reminding its visitors why it was left behind.

Sonic had come to these temples to hopefully find the means to acquire the sacred Chaos Emeralds of South Island.

Prior to dropping out of high school, Sonic recalled a history teacher he had that had specialized in the mythology of various cultures. Among these cultural beliefs the professor seemed most interested in the Emeralds.

According to legend, an ancient civilization of echidnas worshipped a powerful deity called Chaos who protected the Emeralds. Then mysteriously the echidna tribe was wiped out. No one knew the why or how of the occurrence. Over time, the Chaos Emeralds became lost to the sands of time. The mystical charms became fewer in number and less often found. Many archaeologists believed that there were only seven emeralds, while others theorized that most of the planet's cultures had Chaos shrines to protect their own emeralds.

It didn't matter to Sonic. He didn't care to wrap his mind around such things, he had only came to investigate the possibility of stopping Robotnik early before anything worse could happen.

He ceased thinking on the subject upon seeing a large opening that led further into the bowels of the temple.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust as he entered. He could just barely make out some torch flames in the distance.

It then donned on him: _Why is there torches lit? _

A deep rumble announced the eruption of lava pouring down into the temple. Without thought, Sonic dashed forward, quickly accumulating in speed until the river of fire was far behind him.

A quick glance above him revealed a row of sharp spikes. Sonic managed to roll out of the way before the death trap could come crashing down on him.

The hedgehog gulped for air, "This trip to find the emeralds better not be for nothing."

Dr. Robotnik was working busily at his computer, typing up various equations and calculations. _The Chaos Emeralds should be adequate to power my ultimate weapon. The only problem is…how do I find them?_

After entering the equations, the computer revealed a possibility of locating the energy signature of a Chaos Emerald.

Robotnik read off the computer's information, a smile slowly forming on his lips. "Areas with high concentration of Chaos energy found in gold rings usually form an inter-dimensional hole that separates the emeralds from one existing dimension to another," he read aloud as he stroked his thick red moustache. "Interesting."

The doctor moved from his computer and spread a map across one of his many cluttered tables. He examined all the possible areas that could have high Chaos energy levels. One spot in particular caught his eye.

Dr. Robotnik pushed a button on his intercom. "Yes, Dr. Robotnik," his robot assistant replied.

"Deploy the buzzbomber squadron. We're going to the Marble Zone."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Sonic raised an eyebrow at the sight before him.

_It looks like a giant power ring,_ he mused. He had to admit that he had never before seen anything like this. Rings, while plentiful and frequently used as a source of energy, were never larger than two feet.

_But this thing… it looks about six!_

He took a step toward it, hesitating to touch it. Could it have been a creation of Robotnik's? Or perhaps another of the ruins' traps?

_Just do it, Sonic._

The hedgehog touched the ring, feeling a surge of energy course through his body before a bright light engulfed him. Sonic squeezed his eyes shut, the light blinding him.

Then suddenly, the light died down. A weightless sensation came over Sonic as he opened his eyes to discover that he was in another place. Another world.

_Where am I?_

"You are in another realm," a voice replied to Sonic's inward question. "One that is meant to guard the power of Chaos."

Sonic frantically looked around finding no one in view. "Who's there? Who are you?"

"I am nothing. Merely a memory of what once was. And you, young man, are the last hope for earth."

Sonic wrinkled his nose at that declaration. Last hope for earth? Sure, he wanted to stop Robotnik, but he wasn't any hero or savior.

"You doubt yourself, Sonic the hedgehog. Yet you should not, for it is your destiny to wield the power of the Chaos."

"But why?" Sonic protested. "I'm just a kid! All I want is to find these emeralds so Robotnik can be stopped! I'm not a soldier. I can't even fight. I've lost all but one fight my entire life, and that was to a deaf mute that wanted to start something with me. How do think I'm going to manage to save _myself_ let alone the entire planet?"

The voice, still calm, simply replied, "You must prove your worth."

Sonic frowned. This didn't sound good. "What? You mean, like a test or something?"

Suddenly, a group of walls materialized around Sonic.

"Sonic," the voice once again spoke. "To locate the first emerald of the Chaos you must find your way through this labyrinth. But choose your path wisely; there are two ways out of the Chaos Realm. One is through the goal markers; the other is with the emerald. You must prove your worth not only to your world but to yourself as well. Be strong, Sonic the hedgehog."

"Scanners are negative, Dr. Robotnik," the buzzbomber robot designated A-2132 informed, its insectoid eye sensors glowing red as it focused on the fat doctor's face.

Robotnik stroked his moustache for a moment, thinking. "Continue the excavation."

"Affirmative," the robot replied before flying off to continue its work.

He looked around the area. In this lush jungle the portal leading to the Chaos Emeralds could be anywhere.

_However, _Robotnik thought with a gleam of malice in his eye, _the forest can't hide anything if it no longer exists._

"This is nuts," Sonic groaned as he floated down a corridor in the Chaos maze.

Sonic has to admit that in the past 10 minutes he truly felt unsure of himself. It was such a foreign concept to him. He'd always thought of himself as a pretty self-assured individual. He managed to live on his own for the past year without family or friends to support him. Most people his age could rarely say the same.

Yet he felt so…

_Inadequate, _Sonic thought.

He made a turn down one of the paths, coming to an area where the maze forked. _Left or right?_ Sonic wondered. _Only have one chance at this. Better make it good._

He fanned the air with his arms, pushing himself toward the corridor on the right. Facing him was a dead end.

_Wrong move, Sonic._

A bright light once again surrounded Sonic. The world seemed to spin around him, steadily increasing in speed. Sonic grew dizzy and passed out.

The smell of burning leaves stung Sonic's senses as he regained consciousness, discovering that he was outside one of the Marble Zone's temples.

Sonic frowned. He had failed the test. Did that mean then that he wasn't in fact the hero of this strange war?

In the distance he could hear an odd buzzing sound followed by the blast of plasma cannons striking stone.

Sonic rose from the ground and discovered that the jungles were being incinerated; the temples were being demolished!

_And I can't do anything to stop it now._ A knot grew in the hedgehog's stomach. Sonic felt ready to break down into tears when he suddenly tightened his fists into a firm grip of rage.

No! This isn't over! I won't let South Island fall into that scumbag's hands. I won't stand here and watch my friends die.

He had no idea where to begin. Perhaps he had another chance at acquiring the emeralds. It didn't matter to him. He only wanted to be sure that he was doing the right thing in the end.

"Nothing! My scanners show absolutely nothing!" Robotnik bellowed, not toward anyone in particular, but merely to reassure himself of his frustration. The Chaos energy dwelling in the Marble Zone seemingly dissipated upon his arrival. His buzzbombers, despite nearly destroying the entire area, turned up nothing.

_Perhaps I will find luck elsewhere,_ Robotnik thought with a glimmer of hope. _The portal leading to the Chaos Emeralds is on the island. I'm sure of it!_

He punched a button on his dashboard, activating his intercom. "A-2132, return to base. Perhaps we need to rethink our strategy."

Just as he deactivated the intercom, a blue blur from afar came into view of his peripheral vision. The doctor raised an eyebrow. _The hedgehog? What could he be doing here? _

Then suddenly, the silhouette vanished from sight. An idea came into the fat man's mind. _Maybe our blue friend knows where to find our little treasure._

It was a long shot, but he had nothing to lose. If anything it would give him the opportunity to kill the pesky creature after that humiliating confrontation that took place.

_This might be fun_, Robotnik thought with twisted glee. _Yes, very fun indeed._


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

"The spring yard is a perfect place for an ambush," Robotnik concluded, rubbing his gloved hands deviously.

The spring yard was South Island's… unique business in devices used for easy transportation during the construction of large-scale buildings. Despite being rather dangerous and unpredictable, the owners seemed to make a good profit off the product.

The yard itself was gigantic, as it had no fences or barriers. Large neon signs were everywhere, shamelessly advertising the various types of springboards throughout.

Of course by now he had already eliminated the owners of the spring yard, making it _his _property to use as he saw fit. The amount of available materials used to build the springs could speed up the production of his robot army.

Yes, South Island's defeat would be a swift and easy one. His only concern was locating the Chaos Emeralds. The island itself was pretty much useless; a convenient location for strip mining, nothing more. But the emeralds… they were something of inexhaustible power. He wanted that. It could put his experiments light years ahead of his colleagues.

_Then those USRA fools would be begging me to come back._

As he relished his daydream, a soft beeping at Robotnik's cockpit warned him of the hedgehog's approach. He activated his intercom and commanded his robotic servants, "The hedgehog is not to be harmed. He must be coaxed into running, that's all. Set all weapons to stun."

Sonic was racing through the spring yard. The labyrinth, his destination, was not far from the area he was now in. He hoped that he might find another portal to the Chaos Realm there. If all worked out, he could redeem himself of his failure and offer the people of South Island the hope of freedom.

The spring yard itself looked unoccupied; almost vacated. It gave Sonic chills when he thought about it. Something didn't feel right.

Without thinking, Sonic took a quick leap to his right, narrowly missing a plasma bolt fired from the stinger of a buzzbomber robot.

The robot's eye sensors glowed red, zooming in on Sonic. It managed to fire one last time before it was sliced in half by the force of the hedgehog's speedy back flip.

More robots began to arrive, swarming in like the insects they were modeled after. They fired their plasma bolts.

_Forget this, I'm out of here._ Sonic thought as he once again took to running. Faster and faster he went, gaining momentum to the point that he was leaving a path of charred footprints. Luckily Sonic's shoes were designed to resist friction (it had taken him a lot of time and money, but he had eventually paid to have sneakers tailored with him specifically in mind) otherwise his feet would likely get badly burned.

Before long, the buzzbomber droids were long out of sight. He was approaching the end of the spring yard. A smirk formed on Sonic's lips. _Who knows? Maybe I'll manage to get out of this alive._

"Dr. Robotnik, the target has vacated the area. He is currently being monitored as you requested," a buzzbomber droid reported.

Robotnik made his hands into a steeple, nodding calmly. _If I were to wager a guess, the hedgehog is making his way toward the labyrinth. Little does he know that that particular area was my first conquest upon arriving here._

"Very good," Robotnik finally stated. "Let's return to base. If my calculations are correct, we have time on our side."

And soon the emeralds along with it.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The entrance to the labyrinth was gigantic. Lined with brown-gold stones and pillars, it had statues of the dead culture's bird god carved throughout the exterior.

Sonic could only whistle in wonder. Unlike the Marble Zone, the labyrinth looked as though it was newly built. It was truly an architectural masterpiece.

As he approached the entrance, he heard the echo of drilling equipment coming from inside. _Let me guess…Robotnik._

Sonic quickly ran inside, ready to further cripple the mad doctor's operation. It wasn't until he was inside that he realized that the labyrinth consisted of various flood chambers. And flood chambers meant water.

The hedgehog grew a little uneasy. Though he loved spending time at the beach (water skiing was one of his favorite pastimes), Sonic had no idea how to swim. It was always something that he had intended on learning, but he always had to put it off.

_Lady Luck is a cruel woman,_ Sonic thought to himself as he started to wade through one of the many pools.

Going from the memory of watching others swim, Sonic started to dog paddle. Faster and faster he moved his arms, carrying himself through the water. _This isn't so hard after all._

The surveillance cameras that were recently installed in the labyrinth revealed to Robotnik that the hedgehog was attempting to swim. Clearly he wasn't trained. The fat scientist couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

_Maybe if I'm lucky I won't have to kill him. The water will do it for me. Ha!_

A beeping sound went off at the doctor's console. Robotnik groaned. _What now?_

With a few keystrokes, Robotnik opened a window at his computer. His eyes widened with excitement upon seeing the message: SENSORS DETECT HIGH LEVELS OF CHAOS ENERGY IN VICINITY. INVESTIGATION IS RECOMMENED IMMEDIATELY.

Dr. Robotnik jumped out of his seat and to his personal hangar. This was a matter he would investigate himself. As he hopped into the cockpit of his private jet pod, he couldn't help but gloat. Not only was he going to obtain the Chaos Emeralds but also his enemy's death was almost a certainty.

"Whoa boy!" Sonic said as he flailed his arms, trying to keep afloat. But it was no use. He quickly sunk like a stone to the bottom of the pool. He frantically looked around for something to climb to the surface, but the labyrinth walls had smooth surfaces. More than likely it was designed as a way of killing intruders.

But that wasn't going to stop Sonic.

As he slowly moved through the water, it seemed that escape was a hopeless aspiration. There was no way out of this death trap unless you happened to have knowledge on how to swim.

His thoughts were interrupted when he caught a golden shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He moved toward the shining object, discovering that it was a ring. But better yet, as he looked around, he realized that there were rings all around him!

Sonic then had an idea. He quickly began gathering the rings, hooking them around his arms as he began to get a handful. _This might be my last chance._

When he could no longer carry any more of the rings, he placed them in a circle on the labyrinth floor. He could feel his lungs start to burn as he paced about. _Come on, come on, _Sonic thought to himself impatiently. _Please work! _

The rings suddenly began to glow brightly. Their golden forms began to meld together; the stone floor at the center of the circle vanished. It was replaced by a black void.

_Yes!_ Sonic rejoiced.

His hypothesis was correct. The amount of Chaos Energy generated by the rings was able to open a wormhole when they were placed near each other.

Now to get out of here and get those emeralds.

Sonic stepped down into the black void, the wormhole closing after him.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

"Absolutely beautiful!"

That was all that Robotnik could say as he examined the large ring hovering before him. In his right hand was a small device used to measure radiation of various types. The little machine read large amounts of Chaos energy in the area.

This was it. This was the portal that would lead him to the Chaos Emeralds. This was what would lead him to victory.

He reached out to touch it. Instantly, he felt a sudden change in environment, though he couldn't place what.

He looked around, finding himself floating in a mysterious maze.

"Disrupter of peace…you are now in the Chaos Realm," a voice spoke.

Robotnik laughed, undaunted by the mysterious voice. "Call me what you will. I've come for the emeralds. You can try and stop me, but it will do you no good."

"No," the voice said. "The emeralds are yours to take. You need only find your way through the maze. Only then will you be able to claim the power of the Chaos."

_A maze?_ Robotnik wondered. _This should be easy._ A brilliant mind such as the doctor's would have no problem in solving this little puzzle.

"Be warned," the voice once again spoke. "There is another who seeks the emeralds."

_The hedgehog,_ Robotnik realized. So he must've gained entry into the Chaos Realm as well. Oh well, if he needed to he could kill the little nuisance to ensure his victory.

"If he should obtain the emeralds, you will fail in your attempt at conquest."

"So far, so good," Sonic said aloud as he floated through the Chaos Realm's maze. Every path he had taken had led him ever closer to his goal and one step closer to defeating that madman, Robotnik.

He made a turn to his right, noticing that the path forked into two corridors. Then suddenly something caught his eye. Movement from the left corridor. A large tubby man in red was attempting to float by dog paddling (with little success).

Sonic chuckled. _Looks like I have some competition._ For all he knew, this was Robotnik's first visit into the Chaos Realm. Sonic had the advantage of experience, not to mention he knew how to float properly.

"Hey Eggman!" Sonic called out to Robotnik. The balding head peaked behind the corridor wall at Sonic, his red mustache twitching with anger.

"Hedgehog," the evil scientist growled. "It's time to put you out of your misery!"

Robotnik pulled a laser pistol from out of his black trousers. He took aim and pulled the trigger.

Sonic quickly moved out of the way, the laser beam striking the wall behind him. He began rushing toward the fat man, gaining speed.

"Uh oh," Robotnik groaned just as Sonic's foot launched his round body into a wall.

Sonic took off down the right corridor, Robotnik's bellows echoing throughout the maze. _This might raise the stakes a bit. I've got find those emeralds._

There they were. The Chaos Emeralds. It had taken Sonic nearly an hour to find his way through the vast corridors, but now his prize awaited him.

"You have proven your worth, Sonic the hedgehog," the mysterious voice of the Chaos Realm said. "You have shown that you can wield the power to save your world. Now…take the power of Chaos and claim your destiny."

Sonic stepped toward the mystical stones, each of them various colors. They floated around in sync with each other, forming a circle of beauty that he had never before seen in his lifetime. He touched one of them, a blue emerald, and suddenly felt an odd surge through his body, like the feeling when one's limbs fall asleep. His surroundings vanished into white.

"Time is short," the voice once again spoke. "Robotnik has returned to your world and he will attempt to succeed in his goal of conquest. You have been given all of the Chaos Emeralds because you have shown that you are capable of carrying its burden. You were impatient in the past; you lacked faith in yourself. Since then, you have grown in maturity. Go now, child of the earth realm."

Sonic woke up beside one of the labyrinth's many pools of water. His gloved right hand was soaked having stayed in the water as he had slept. He rose to his feet, still groggy from resting. _Did I actually get the emeralds?_ he inquired.

Robotnik furiously pounded on the cockpit of his aircraft. _How could I fail? How could I let that blasted blue hedgehog outdo me again?_ His red moustache quivered with anger, his face started to match in color.

The beeping of his intercom temporarily restrained his anger as he answered the call. "What?" he barked.

"The hedgehog has been located once again, Dr. Robotnik."

The fat doctor started to smile. Then he remembered the words of caution given to him in the Chaos Realm. _No,_ he declared to himself. _I will not fail. Only I determine my destiny, not some specter from another dimension. I'll kill that hedgehog and use his remains to fertilize the landscape!_


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

"You may have obtained the emeralds, hedgehog, but you are now in my element!" Robotnik declared with a snicker. His hand was resting on a switch that would release the water from the flood channels and into the labyrinth. He wouldn't let his enemy escape. Not this time. "I would consider sparing your life in exchange for your current possessions, but to tell you the truth, you are far too great a threat to my plans. Goodbye!"

Robotnik clicked the switch and the sound of water rushing down the labyrinth corridors could soon be heard.

_Well, this could pose a problem,_ Sonic thought as he saw the torrent of water coming toward him. He began climbing on the open ledges of the walls, attempting to keep away from the water until he could come up with a decent plan of escape. Robotnik was nowhere in sight, having left him to die. At least he didn't have to worry about anything other than the water rising toward him. So sure, Sonic had nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

_Why didn't I stay home?_

An opening in the labyrinth's ceiling caught Sonic's eye. He collected dust off the walls to give his hands better traction before he jumped to grab the edge of the opening.

His right hand barely caught a hold on the edge, leaving him hanging above the still-rising water. Sweat began beating down his face as he held on. _C'mon, Hedgehog, pull yourself up or you're gonna be fish food!_

With a scream of anguish, Sonic pulled himself up toward the ceiling with his right arm. The muscles were burning with exhaustion, slowly weakening despite the rush of adrenaline that kept him going.

Finally, Sonic was able to climb into the opening and wedge himself by pressing his legs up against the walls. He rubbed his sore arm. He had definitely pulled a muscle in trying to hoist himself up.

_Okay,_ he thought with determination, _let's get out of here._

"Bring up camera three," Robotnik instructed as he sat at his computer console. His aircraft was now on auto-pilot, its destination was toward his command center which was several hundred miles away.

An image of one of the labyrinth's chambers filled Robotnik's computer screen. The sight revealed no sign of the blue hedgehog. Only ancient walls and ceiling-high water.

A small twitch could be seen at the corner of Robotnik's lips. _Yes,_ he thought with a quiet chuckle. _At last my problems are over._

Despite the trouble the hedgehog had caused, the fat scientist had to admit that the experience was beneficial. If anything, it made him aware of the modifications he would need to make on his security systems.

"Exit," he commanded, which closed the surveillance window. He lied back in his seat, closing his eyes as the aircraft continued its flight.

Sonic emerged from the labyrinth's roof, dead tired. "When this over… I'm taking a vacation away from my vacation."

He lied down on the roof, letting the final rays of the sun beat down on him as it started to set. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

**(Three days later)**

The battles had continued between Sonic and Doctor Ivo Robotnik the last few days. The Starlight Observatory was almost taken over by the fat scientist, but Sonic had gained many friends during his time on the island.

Friends that hated Robotnik. Friends that would do anything to see him dead or behind bars.

With the previous defeats over Dr. Robotnik, the island's natives began to come out of hiding, gathering together to make one final stand against him.

Sonic had led them to Robotnik's central base. It wasn't long before South Island's inhabitants had overpowered the machines of Robonik.

But now it was between a hedgehog and a diabolical scientist. As Sonic entered Robotnik's private lab, an energy field sealed off the only exit along with any chance of turning back.

Not that Sonic had even wanted to.

The lab appeared empty save for an object resembling a large red light bulb mounted on the wall across from him. As he took a step forward, a large hydraulic press came down right in front of him. _That was close._

"I at least want to be left with the pleasure of killing you, Spine-back!" a voice said over a hidden loudspeaker.

Suddenly, several more presses came down at a rapid pace. For an instant, Sonic thought he saw Robotnik peeking out from one of them.

Then the machines stopped.

Sonic stood still, waiting and watching every inch of the room. He saw the red light bulb begin to glow. It turned pink in color, its light form a pulsing ball of energy. Slowly the ball began to approach him.

Sonic took a step back. A press came down, causing the hedgehog to back into it. There was no way to escape this energy bomb.

_No way…but up, _Sonic thought with a grin. Quickly and before the bomb could get close, Sonic turned around and ran up the hydraulic press, landing behind the energy bomb as it struck the press.

That's one down.

"You stupid hedgehog! Can't you stand on the ground where I can kill you?" Robotnik bellowed over the intercom system.

"No way, Eggman!" Sonic retorted with a snicker.

But Sonic's remark didn't seem to make the fat scientist any less determined to kill him. The red bulb fired three more of the pink energy bombs. This time, the bombs moved toward him at frightening speed. He dove left and right away from the deadly traps; they struck the wall, loosening some debris from the ceiling to crash down.

"Dohhhh…blast it!" Robotnik shouted in anger. One of the presses rose from the ground; a compartment opened to reveal the mad doctor. Robotnik tried his hardest to squeeze his obese form through the compartment's slim opening. After a few moments, he managed to free himself. A wall opened to reveal a private hangar that housed his hovercraft.

Sonic caught sight of Robotnik's glance toward it. But it was too late. The Eggman was already making his way toward it.

Doctor Robotnik frantically climbed into the hovercraft, punching buttons left and right with speed and precision. He pushed a small button on the dashboard, activating a silent countdown to destroy the base. Plan after plan had seemed to fail, but Robotnik, whether by his hand or not, would make sure the hedgehog would die.

As the hovercraft took flight, he felt the backend of the vehicle shake violently. He swiveled his head around to see that the jet thruster was twisted to its side, causing the belly of the craft to light on fire. Robotnik turned his attention forward, realizing that his vehicle was already long off the runway. "Oh dear," Robotnik said quietly as his ship started to plunge below.

Sonic looked on from the runway, witnessing his handiwork as Robotnik's ship was slowly approaching a nosedive into a seemingly bottomless abyss. _Enjoy the flight, Eggman._

He could feel the lab start to rumble from explosions. _Time to go. _He took one last glance at Robotnik, who had already vanished from sight.

Sonic bolted out of the lab, punching through the ever-weakening force field with little effort. _Wow, _he thought humorously, _I beat Robotnik and he decides to destroy the base for me. I guess he's a not such a bad guy after all._


	9. Epilogue and Author's Notes

Epilogue 

South Island had never looked more beautiful to Sonic the Hedgehog. He closed his eyes and took the environment in with a great breath.

_Now I remember why I came here,_ he thought with a smile. _Rest and relaxation._

He opened his eyes and saw a group of birds chirping at each other affectionately. The world had gone back to normal.

Sonic opened the satchel that carried the Chaos Emeralds. _I'm sure they'll want this back._

As he drew each from the satchel they started to slowly float into the sky, forming a ring of colorful gems. The emeralds moved in a counter-clockwise motion, their reflections spilling all over the island.

Sonic looked around as he saw trees and flowers bloom into even more beautiful forms. The rivers and streams became bluer than before. The scent of honey and flowers grew stronger. Sonic found himself at a loss; the island actually _did_ look more beautiful.

He turned to look at the ring of emeralds, but discovered that they had vanished. He gave a light chuckle and sighed.

The fight was over. He had come to this island an ordinary hedgehog, a boy with little to no self-confidence. He would leave a mature young man with hope for the future.

Life was good.

Author's Notes 

My apologies to those who had followed this story and were annoyed at my less-than-frequent updates. I give even more apologies to my rather lackluster additions to this story. While many portions of "The Fight for South Island" I am proud of, a good chunk was left with something to be desired.

I found myself having a difficult time adapting the later areas of the game into literary format. For example, I had originally planned on making a chapter that explored the Star Light Zone into greater depth. Unfortunately, I felt that the story would drag on and make you, the reader, uninterested over time. It is an idea that I might one day write as a one-shot.

To those who have followed this story: thank you. I've appreciated the comments and I'm glad to see that there are still Sonic the Hedgehog fans alive in the world.

If you have any further comments or suggestions for future Sonic-related stories, by all means send a comment!

Thank you,

Logan T. Hoffman


End file.
